


A Brotherly Connection

by mshakarios



Series: Table For Three (Themmus Fics) [8]
Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Brotherly Bonding, Father-Son Relationship, Flashbacks, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Introspection, M/M, Not Canon Compliant, Polyamory, and has angst about his dad, angry lizard son bonds with his bratty spiky brother, because thane's alive, listen i love kolyat so much i would die for him
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-06
Updated: 2018-11-06
Packaged: 2019-08-19 13:31:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16535492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mshakarios/pseuds/mshakarios
Summary: When Kolyat's father and stepfathers have to leave in the middle of the night on urgent family business, he is tasked with looking after his adopted baby brother. Some introspection and fraternal bonding follows.Thane/M!Shep/Garrus, mentions of Thane/Irikah in flashbacks, minor mentions of Tali/OC (with the OC in question being my Shep's younger sister), but this is mostly a gen thing focused on brotherly love because I'm a big sap and also I cried writing this lmao





	A Brotherly Connection

**Author's Note:**

> Listen. Kolyat doesn't get enough love. He's such an interesting character and you can do a lot with him and his relationship with his dad, and with a Shepard who romances his dad (or, like in this case, Shepard and Garrus both being in a polyamorous relationship with his dad. Y'know, whatever you've got going on. Give Kolyat all the fathers.) I've been thinking a lot lately about his relationship with the original turian kid I made for my Thane/MShep/Garrus series, and it made me want to write fluffy brotherly stuff. There's a fair dose of angst, though, so look out for that. 
> 
> Post-canon, set in my usual "Thane doesn't die and everything is good and happy and gay shhhhh I don't have to acknowledge the events of ME3 leave me alone" timeline. 
> 
> ALSO quick pedantic sidenote I make mentions of Irikah's appearance that conflict with her design in that one comic, because I really dislike that design (lizard tits...tiny dainty lady who's smaller than her husband...scale color that doesn't make sense considering her husband and son's appearances...lizard tits...etc.) and have my own headcanon design for her. I just feel the need to point out that this was an intentional disregard for her comic design, rather than ignorance of its existence. 
> 
> Also no I have no idea where this is set, location-wise. Shhhh don't worry about it

“Listen, we hate to do this to you on such short notice. But...urgent business, y’know? Can’t be helped. And we couldn’t find anybody else this close by.” Emmett’s tone was quick and slightly distracted as he rushed to get his jacket and shoes on. Kolyat watched his human stepfather frantically scurry around the room, continuing to ramble out half-formed apologies as he prepared to leave, and the young man still couldn’t help but feel distinctly out of place in the apartment his father and two stepfathers called home. “Your dad didn’t want to bother you in the middle of the night, but y’know, sometimes you just can’t help this kind of thing.” 

“Is your sister going to be alright?”

“We’re...not really sure yet. I mean, the baby isn’t due for another couple of months; Leah knew there might be complications, but nothing really prepares you for when shit actually goes wrong, y’know?” He sighed. “Tali’s worried sick about her, and the baby. She was panicking when she called; from what she told me, it’s probably something minor, but you can’t help but freak out when it’s your spouse and kid, y’know?” Emmett finished getting ready as he spoke, and moved to stand in front of his stepson awkwardly in the middle of the kitchen. They stood there in unsure silence for a moment, all the tension of the strange situation seeming to weigh on both of them as the plaintive, screeching cries from the next room grew louder with the sound of approaching footsteps. 

“Are you ready to leave?” Thane’s low gravel voice carried over the cries of the infant in his arms as he entered the room; he must have noticed the stilted, uncomfortable atmosphere as his son and husband stood silently across from each other, but made no comment on it. Emmett turned to his husband and nodded.

“Yeah, I’m ready when you are.”

“Garrus called; he says that he can meet us there.”

“Oh, at least one person gets something good out of this: he gets an excuse to leave work early. Well...whatever ‘early’ is for him these days. It’s the middle of the night. Sometimes it feels like he _lives_ at work.” 

“I suppose having to share him with his job is understandable.” Thane’s lips quirked into a wry little smile as he spoke, coming to stand beside Kolyat. “We _are_ sorry about this; there was no one else this close at this time of night.” He addressed his son apologetically, ignoring the continued babbling of the turian baby in his arms. “And you understand that we can’t just leave him alone.”

“I do. Honestly, Father, it’s...it’s fine.”

“I know that you and Norius haven’t spent much time together. I’m sorry to be pushing him onto you so suddenly, but we’ll hopefully be back soon.” As he spoke, he held the loosely swaddled infant out carefully towards Kolyat, who awkwardly lifted his younger brother from his father’s arms. As Thane and Emmett launched into a discussion with each other about details of transportation, moving around the apartment as they finished preparing to leave, Kolyat stood silently in the kitchen, looking down at the squealing bundle in his arms with hesitant curiosity. 

Baby Norius was heavier than he looked; even infant turians, it seemed, were covered in natural plating, though from what Kolyat could tell the baby’s plates seemed thinner and more flimsy than those of an adult. What he could see of the boy’s face, peeking out from his swaddling, was small and surprisingly rounded. Not as sharp and pointy as an adult, with softer angles and large, dark, curious eyes that looked up at Kolyat with interest. He had the sudden thought that he should try to acknowledge the baby in some way; he gave an uncomfortable, stilted little nod of his head, before stopping as he realized how ridiculous that probably was. Norius’s own tiny head cocked to the side as he looked up at his older brother, his little baby mind trying to figure out what to make of this unfamiliar man who looked quite a bit like one of his three fathers. 

“Alright, we’re gone!” Emmett called from the front door, snapping the young drell out of his thoughts. Kolyat looked up from the baby and acknowledged his father and stepfather’s departure with another slight nod, and Emmett continued as he met his gaze. “Remember, you shouldn’t have to do much; he’s usually asleep by now, and he should be out like a light before long. He might try to convince you to give him some food, and he’s really persuasive, but he’s already eaten, no matter what those big ol’ sad eyes try to tell you.”

“It should only be a couple of hours, but if we still aren’t back by the morning,” Thane added, “There are some small containers of baby food for him in the pantry. On the right side; all the dextro food is there. If you get hungry, we have plenty of food, but be sure it’s from the left si--”

“I think I’ve got it, Father. I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about us.” 

At his son’s words, Thane nodded and followed his husband out the door, letting it slide closed and lock securely behind the two of them. Suddenly the only sound in the apartment was the warbling of the baby in Kolyat’s arms, and he returned his attention to his younger brother, feeling a strange sense of pressure now that it was just the two of them. He looked apprehensively at Norius, and to his surprise the little turian almost seemed to return his expression, those big dark eyes looking up at him from the swaddling of blankets with what he could have sworn was a similar display of apprehension. He snorted softly.

“Well...I guess we’re brothers. Or something like that.” In truth, he was not exactly sure what to make of this child, the orphaned baby turian that his father and two stepfathers had recently adopted as their own. Were they brothers? They shared a parent, although in slightly different ways; his own father, both in biology and in memories (no matter how painful those memories sometimes were), was now one of three adoptive fathers to this small child, offering not his genes but his love and care. He mused on the differences in their situations, on how strange it was that they were somehow both Thane’s sons, no matter how different their upbringings.

The whole situation was strange, to say the least. It had been one thing for Kolyat to find his father back in his life so suddenly, reconnecting with him and attempting to make amends for the years he spent away from his son. Kolyat had spent those years resenting his father, stewing in his pain and confusion, his flawless memory keeping both the horror of his mother’s murder and the betrayal of his father’s absence fresh in his mind. Then suddenly he was back, after years of abandonment, asking for forgiveness and a chance to be the father he should have been. That had been strange and painful and difficult on its own, watching Thane attempt to reconnect with him, the two of them slowly working on their issues together and finally forming the shaky beginnings of a decent father-son relationship. 

Coming to terms with his father’s two alien lovers, and eventually the triad marriage that had made them Kolyat’s stepfathers, was another issue entirely. 

It wasn’t that he disliked Emmett and Garrus; both of them were nice enough people, and they had saved the galaxy from the Reapers, so how bad could they be? It was more the principle of the thing, the inherent strangeness of the situation. The fact that these two unfamiliar alien men were romantically involved with his father, married to him now, the three of them forming a bizarre little family unit to which Kolyat still wasn’t sure how to respond. They seemed happy, at least; Thane smiled so much more now, radiating an inner peace and happiness that Kolyat had not seen in his father since his earliest childhood memories, back when his mother was alive and Thane would gaze at her with that rapt, almost worshipful adoration that had both amused and fascinated Kolyat as a child. Whenever Thane was around his new husbands, Kolyat could see echoes of that gaze in the way he looked at both of them, the expression tinged now with a strange, tired sadness yet still filled with the same profound adoration that would always be crystal clear in his memory. 

He still wasn’t sure how to feel about this; while he tried his best to be happy for his father, he had to admit that there was some strange, small, irrational part of him that lamented that Thane was capable of moving on, that his father could fall in love with someone who wasn’t his mother. In all the happy memories of his parents together, on the few occasions when his father was home and not away on business (away killing people, he knew now, and the truth of his father’s occupation made all those frequent “business trips” seem so sinister now in hindsight), their adoration for each other had been obvious. Any time Kolyat relived those memories he couldn’t help but notice how in love his parents were with each other, even despite the strain that Thane’s frequent absences put on the family. In memories he watched them together, watched their comfortable romantic banter and the loving way they spoke to each other, watched the way Irikah picked up her shorter, smaller husband and lifted him off the ground into an embrace whenever he arrived home from a trip, the way Thane always smiled with adoration and amusement when she would lift him like that. Their love had been ever-present, even when it had been strained, and although it seemed almost childish when he thought about it critically, it was strange for Kolyat to imagine his parents loving anyone but each other. He knew it was irrational, knew that it had been years since his mother’s death, that it was perfectly natural for his father to find happiness with someone new instead of spending the rest of his life as a sad, lonely widower. But no matter how irrational Kolyat knew it was, it was there nonetheless, making feelings of unease and confusion settle into the pit of his stomach. 

And then there had been the child. 

Thane had visited him at his apartment one day, just as he had done on a regular basis since they had reconnected. But this visit had been different. They often talked about heavy topics together, still working through the painful feelings of loss and grief and abandonment between them, but this time, instead of the solemn look of deliberation that always settled over Thane’s face as he prepared to discuss something serious, Kolyat was surprised to see a nervous unease in his father’s expression as he carefully decided on what to say. This uncertainty made sense once the bomb was finally dropped; Thane and his husbands were preparing to adopt a child, a turian infant orphaned by the war. 

This had been a surprise, to say the least, and Kolyat had honestly not known how to react. The thought of his father having another child was a bizarre concept, and it twisted and tangled itself in his brain the more he thought about it. What would this child be to him? A sibling? They weren’t related by blood, they weren’t even the same species. While thinking about it he had found himself reliving a childhood memory, asking his parents if he would ever have a little brother or sister. Their response had been vague, and looking at the memories as an adult he could see the amusement in their eyes that had been lost on him at the time. He relived the memories of that night after he asked them, thoughts of a possible little sibling now swirling around in his head, the night when he spent a long time looking at himself in the mirror and trying to pick out his parents’ features in his own face. His mother’s teal blue coloring and strong chin, his father’s darker eyes; what would a little sibling, another combination of his parents, look like? A little girl, with Father’s green scales and Mother’s rich red-orange eyes? A boy, blue like Mother and himself, and similar enough in features that were it not for the age difference, people could mistake himself and his brother for twins? The possibilities excited him. He had thought back to these childhood musings, and considered how different his experience of having a sibling was turning out to be.

Yet no matter how strange it seemed, he was gaining a younger brother, yet another addition to the large, strange family he seemed to have suddenly found himself a member of. The adoption went through without a hitch, and he met baby Norius a couple of times, always finding himself feeling slightly odd and out of place in the child’s presence. 

Returning to the present, he looked down at the child in his arms, and realized that this was the first time he had ever been alone with him. He was suddenly aware of the fact that he was still standing in the middle of the kitchen, and walked into the living room to sit down on a large, fluffy couch. He assumed the trio were planning to fortify the apartment a bit more as Norius grew older; an adult turian like Garrus was perfectly capable of not slicing open couches with all his spikes and spurs, but he doubted a small child would have the same basic amount of self-control and spacial awareness. He snorted at the idea of a toddler-aged Norius getting his fringe stuck in a decorative pillow. 

His brother continued to wriggle in his arms, making more strange warbling and chirping noises. Kolyat looked down at him. 

“Hello. Do you...need something?” He realized how silly he sounded, and snorted quietly at his own behavior. He was asking questions to a baby. 

The bundle of blankets shifted slightly, and suddenly two stubby arms wriggled free, small three-clawed hands reaching up for him and grabbing hold of his jacket. He frowned as the little talons tugged at the material with surprising strength.

“Hey, uh...don’t do that. Please don’t. This is new, I just got it.” 

The baby’s dark eyes looked up at him with amusement as he struggled to detach two sharp sets of claws from his jacket as gently as possible with one hand. Norius let out another little chirp, one that seemed happier and more playful than all of his previous loud, fussy noises. His claws let go of the jacket and clasped immediately around Kolyat’s hand, tiny talons wrapping securely around scaled blue fingers. This was worse. 

“Norius, no. Let go of my hand.” 

The little turian just warbled happily at him, and his tiny mandibles flicked with satisfaction. He squirmed for just a moment longer, then seemed to finally settle down and become still and quiet, as if his entire goal had just been to grab hold of his brother’s hand and hold it, and after accomplishing this he could finally rest. His inquisitive gaze began to droop and tire after another minute or so, and he looked up at Kolyat with half-closed eyes, making one more very quiet screeching sound and pulling the captive hand close his chest as if cuddling it. Kolyat sighed and nodded.

“Fine. If it’ll get you to sleep.” He looked down at the baby, at the sleepy little plated face looking back up at him, and felt an odd tugging in his chest. When he spoke again, his voice was softer. “But I hope you know it isn’t easy to hold you with one arm. You’re heavy.” 

Norius, uncomprehending, chirped softly in response. His older brother continued, his voice now a low hush.

“You’re not that bad, you know. I wasn’t sure what to think of you at first. To be honest, I’m still not sure. But I think…” The baby’s eyes were closed, and he held his brother’s hand securely against his chest. “I think having you as a brother might be okay.”

He leaned back on the couch and let his eyes slowly close.

\--

“No, she’s alright, Mom, everything’s okay. You don’t have to rush halfway across the galaxy; it was just a false alarm.” Emmett spoke quietly to his mother, the call volume hushed to the lowest setting as he and his husbands entered the apartment “The doctors said that Leah and the baby are both healthy. They kept her overnight just to check, and she was sleeping when we left. You don’t have to worry. I’ll call Tali and ask her and Lee to call you as soon as possible. Relax, Mom. I love you. Okay...okay, yeah, I will. Alright, bye.” 

He ended the call and silently followed into the living room, where Thane and Garrus both stood facing something on the couch. Emmett moved closer until he could see what had captured their attention, and let out an amused little snort at the sight. 

“See?” Garrus said with quiet amusement, bringing a clawed hand up and brushing the flat edge of one talon affectionately against the back of Thane’s neck. “I told you, nothing to worry about. He’s a good brother already.” 

Artificial light filtered through the living room window from outside, washing a soft, comfortable brightness over Kolyat’s sleeping form, curled up on the couch clutching tiny, bundled-up Norius against his chest. The three stood there for a moment, taking in the sight.

“I need to call Tali.” Emmett murmured quietly, and shuffled into the trio’s bedroom with Garrus following closely behind him. 

Thane stood silently for a few more long moments, the light of the artificial morning filling the room and illuminating the soft, loving smile that curved his lips almost imperceptibly. He moved silently to the couch, trying not to disturb the sleeping pair as he sat down beside them. 

For a few long, blissful moments he found himself lost in old memories, memories of finishing jobs and coming home to his family, leaving the measured, clinical brutality of his work behind if only for a short while. Memories of arriving home in the middle of the night and finding his wife and son asleep, of gently waking Irikah with a kiss to let her know he was back, and the biting, witty responses she would mumble to him in return, still every bit his vivid, fiery Siha even when she was half-asleep. Memories of giving her one more soft kiss on the scales of her forehead and then leaving her to sleep, walking silently down the hallway to their little boy’s room to check on him. These were the main memories that flashed before Thane’s eyes now, vivid as when he first experienced them; the feeling of sitting by Kolyat’s bed and watching him sleep, innocent and happy, as he quietly marveled to himself that someone as skilled at taking life as he was could have helped to create someone so small and pure and good. 

The memories were so similar to the scene in front of him now, yet so different in so many bittersweet ways. His son was a young man now, tall and striking like his mother, and Thane felt a swell of pride at the person his child had become. He also had gained new additions to his family: firstly two husbands, two Sihas, both of whom he adored and cherished with all his heart. And now a second son, a tiny alien baby whose care had required him to learn a whole new wealth of knowledge, and who amazed him more with every passing day. But despite all this new love in his life, he had still lost Irikah. Her vibrant, beautiful soul had been snuffed out, and he had lost his Siha, the love of his life, and their son had been forced to grow up without a mother. He knew that this would continue to haunt him for however much time he had left to live, however long this preventative treatment would allow him to live before the progression of his illness could not be delayed any longer. 

Thane’s smile was bittersweet as he gazed lovingly at his two sons, his heart aching at how much things had changed, how much he had lost, but swelling with love as he considered all that he still had, and all that he had gained. He had spent the last hours of the night with his husbands at his pregnant sister-in-law’s bedside, watching Emmett’s younger sister Leah lie worrying in a hospital bed as her siblings and her wife fussed over her. He sympathized with her worry, the love Leah and Tali already had for their child, the lengths they were willing to go to if necessary to make sure their baby was safe and healthy. Looking with adoring eyes at his sons, the fine young man Kolyat had grown into and the tiny, vulnerable baby curled up in the protection of his older brother’s arms, he knew that small moments like these were the ones he had kept fighting for.


End file.
